U.K. doctor fired after refusing to refer to theoretical 'six-foot-tall bearded man' as 'madam,' sues government

"If you have a man, six foot tall with a beard, who says he wants to be addressed as 'she' and 'Mrs.', would you do that?"Getty Images

Dr. David Mackereth, an 'unashamed' Christian, is now suing the government at an employment tribunal for discrimination on the grounds of his religious belief

A Christian doctor in the English midlands lost his job in a government department after he refused to refer to a theoretical “six-foot-tall bearded man” as “madam,” a tribunal heard.

Dr. David Mackereth, 56, claims he was sacked as a disability benefits assessor by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) over his religious beliefs.

The father of four alleges he was asked in a conversation with a line manager: “If you have a man, six foot tall with a beard, who says he wants to be addressed as ‘she’ and ‘Mrs.’, would you do that?”

Mackereth, an evangelist who now works as an emergency doctor, claims his contract was then terminated over his refusal to use transgendered pronouns.

He argues that he was dismissed “not because of any realistic concerns over the rights and sensitivities of transgender individuals, but because of my refusal to make an abstract ideological pledge.”

The doctor is now suing the government at an employment tribunal for discrimination on the grounds of his religious belief. The hearing in Birmingham was told how Mackereth believes transgenderism is a “delusional belief” and an ideology “which I disbelieve and detest.”

In a statement, he told the court: “If you believe in gender fluidity, gender is no more than one’s own fantasy about oneself.”

The theologian and “unashamed” Christian, who has 30 years’ medical experience, secured a job as a health and disability assessor at an assessment centre in May 2018.

He told the tribunal he was suspended the following month after being “interrogated” by his boss, James Owen, for refusing to “call any six-foot-tall bearded man ‘madam’ on his whim.” The medic claims he was told he was “overwhelmingly likely” to lose his job unless he agreed.

Mackereth left his role on June 25, 2018, after an email exchange with Owen in which he was instructed to follow the “process as discussed in your training.”

The email read: “If however you do not want to do this, we will respect your decision and your right to leave your contract.”

I appreciate that in the present political climate, some people ... may find my beliefs to be offensive

Mackereth insists he did not resign his position and is the victim of direct discrimination and harassment.

He told the hearing: “The very fact a doctor can be pulled off the shop floor for an urgent interrogation about his beliefs on gender fluidity is both absurd and very sinister, even more so if it results in a dismissal.

“If something like that happened in a church setting — people being pulled out of a pew, questioned, and then excommunicated — that would be seen as an outrageous example of religious intolerance and bigotry.”

The DWP argues that Mackereth’s views are in breach of the 2010 Equality Act. APM, the recruitment company which hired the medic, is also being sued for religious discrimination.

The company claims that the doctor’s beliefs “are not compatible with human dignity.”

In his statement, Mackereth said: “I appreciate that in the present political climate, some people, including some of those who believe they are transgender, may find my beliefs to be offensive.

“However, in a free society, this is not a good enough reason to censor my beliefs and coerce me to act contrary to my conscience.

“Moreover, as a doctor, my responsibility is always to act in good conscience in the best interest of the patients — not to adopt various fancies, prejudices, or delusions, to avoid offence at all cost.”

Mackereth added that his inherent belief is that transgenderism is a “rebellion against God, which is both pointless and sinful.”

He said: “I am, of course, aware that there are men or women who believe they have been trapped in a wrong body, and I do not question the sincerity of their convictions. A small number of such people have always existed. Up until recently, such a belief was considered by medics to be delusional and a symptom of a medical disorder.

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